Speech Language Pathologist II

Department:

38954 Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center - Speech Pathology: Acute Care/Inpatient

Status:

Full time

Benefits Eligible:

Yes

Hou rs Per Week:

40

Schedule Details/Additional Information:

Varies

Job Summary:

Independently provides a full range of differential diagnostic and therapeutic services to pediatric and/or adult inpatients with wide ranging central or peripheral disorders of communication, cognitive-linguistics, feeding, and/or swallowing. Participates in regular team rounds and staff training. Provides consistent services despite severe weather and participates in team rotations through weekends and holidays to provide 365 day/year coverage.

Weekend requirement is 2 days per 4 week rotation.

Education / Experience:

Required

Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology

Strongly preferred

• •Experience in medical setting
• •Experience with Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)
• •Experience with Modified Barium Swallow Studies (MBS)
• •Experience with Passy-Muir Valves (PMV)

Licensure, Certification and / or Registration:

• •Current license in Speech-Language Pathology issued by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists
• •Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology issued by the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association
• •Current Certification from American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Providers, CPR and AED.

Essential Functions:

• •Adheres to the general hospital standards to promote a cooperative work environment by utilizing communication skills, interpersonal relationships and team building.
• •Follows hospital policies and procedures.
• •Follows departmental policies and procedures.
• •Contributes to the overall quality of services.
• •Assumes responsibility for keeping informed about changes in policies and procedures.
• •Performs comprehensive professional evaluations of patients of all assigned ages referred for differential diagnosis of communicative, cognitive-linguistic, feeding, and/or swallowing disorders.
• •Satisfactorily completes and maintains all initial and ongoing clinical competency requirements for patient groups and areas served.
• •Appropriately selects, administers, and interprets diagnostic tools, with consideration of patient developmental level, current status, premorbid function, and reason for referral, and in accordance to WFBH protocols and procedures.
• •Including, but not limited to, Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES), Modified Barium Swallow Evaluations (MBS), Passy-Muir Valve (PMV) evaluations, and knowledge of multiple standardized and non-standardized assessments of communication and cognitive-linguistics.
• •Pending primary work areas, includes alaryngeal speech evaluations
• •Documents diagnostic findings, recommendations, and charging in the patient’s medical record on the same day as evaluation.
• •Documents admission Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility- Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) ratings and goals, as required (IP rehab staff).
• •Notifies referral source promptly of results and consults with them, and other staff, as necessary to facilitate best care and outcomes.
• •Follows institution guidelines for appropriate cleaning of tools utilized, as needed.
• •Ensures patient and/or caregiver education regarding communicative, cognitive-linguistic, feeding, and/or swallowing disorders and relevant treatment options.
• •Provides appropriate written and/or verbal counseling and education to patient and caregivers relative to recommendations, treatment options, and therapy carryover.
• •Participates in patient and family conferences, as required.
• •Documents education sessions in patient’s medical record on the same day as provision.
• •Plans and conducts treatment programs for patients with communicative, cognitive-linguistic, feeding, and/or swallowing disorders
• •Satisfactorily completes and maintains all initial and ongoing clinical competency requirements for patient groups and areas served.
• •Develops and implements individualized, functional, and measurable treatment goals, appropriate to evaluation findings and set goals.
• •As appropriate, includes, but is not limited to, therapy utilizing Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation, NMES (IP rehab staff)
• •Incorporates patient and caregivers in treatment goal planning.
• •Modifies therapy strategies and provides periodic re-evaluation to determine and ensure effectiveness of treatment, and to update treatment goals.
• •Coordinates management recommendations with outside resources that will be participating in continuing care upon patient discharge from inpatient.
• •When appropriate, terminates formal treatment in an appropriate and timely manner.
• •Documents therapeutic progress, and evolving plans and recommendations in the patient’s medical record, utilizing objective data and submitting documentation on the same day as therapy provision.
• •Documents ongoing and discharge Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility- Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) ratings and goals, as required (IP rehab staff).
• •Consults with medical team, and other staff, as necessary to facilitate best care and outcomes.
• •Serves as speech pathology consultant to educational, medical, and other professional services
• •Attends regular patient care rounds within primary area of practice
• •Participates regularly within multidisciplinary teams.
• •Interacts with other outside agencies as appropriate (for example, Vocational Rehabilitation, Assistive Technology).
• •Provides and participates in in-service education and training of speech pathology interns and fellows, medical students/residents, and allied medical personnel
• •Prepares and presents formal lectures to hospital staff on communication, cognitive-linguistics, feeding, and/or swallowing.
• •Provides unique training for speech-pathology graduate interns, clinical fellows, and/or new team members within the department.
• •Continuously seeks to maintain or improve patient care services and evaluates opportunities to develop new services
• •Efficiently coordinates and triages patient caseloads to ensure that all patient needs are met as quickly as possible, with minimized delays in diagnosis or therapeutic intervention.
• •Demonstrates flexibility in meeting patient/family and department/facility needs.
• •Achieves and maintains required inpatient rehabilitation facility education (IP rehab).
• •Identifies problems, contributes viable solutions, and readily adapts to change.
• •Independently pursues knowledge and research relevant to areas of practice, and participates in in-service education programs to ensure proficiency in current techniques for the evaluation and treatment of all potential patients.
• •Recommends new services and/or techniques to the inpatient Speech Pathology manager.
• •Participates in peer review process.
• •Evaluates options for augmentative/alternative communication and recommends and/or fits appropriate devices or prostheses to meet patient needs, as applicable
• •Consults with Assistive Technology as needed.
• •Performs appropriate evaluation services to assess augmentative/alternative communication options or vocal prostheses.
• •Instructs patient and family in the use of such devices; providing short-term therapy services with the device, if needed.
• •Monitors performance with fitted device.
• •Provides re-evaluation services, as necessary, to change or upgrade devices.
• •Ensures age/development appropriate patient care is provided in accordance with Age-Specific Care Guidelines for the specific age groups served.
• •Satisfactorily completes and maintains all initial and ongoing clinical competency requirements for patient groups and areas served.
• •Achieves and maintains required inpatient rehabilitation facility education specific to age (IP rehab)
• •Demonstrates knowledge of physical, motor/sensory, psychosocial, safety and developmental factors in the Age-Specific Care Guidelines.
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